CIA Argues Public Can’t See Classified Info Given to Favored Reporters, Correction Propagandists.

In a 24 page brief submitted to U S District Court Southern District of New York by the CIA, the agency’s attorneys are arguing that the public has no right to see classified documents in spite of the fact that the same documents were leaked to favored journalists propagandists.

The CIA continues to allege that although the agency disclosed classified information to those it chose to, it did not waive national security exemptions to FOIA requests. How does that work?

…Intelligence and law enforcement agencies frequently deny records requests on the basis of protecting sensitive national security information, one of nine exemptions written into the federal FOIA law.

The case stems from lawsuit against the CIA by New York-based independent journalist Adam Johnson, who had used FOIA to obtain emails between the agency’s public information office and selected reporters from the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and The New York Times. The emails the CIA provided to Johnson were redacted, leading him to question why he was not allowed to see the same information that had been given to uncleared reporters.

…

The judge in the case appeared to find Johnson’ argument compelling. In a court order last month, Chief Judge Colleen McMahon of the Southern District of New York said FOIA laws do not authorize limited disclosure, to favored journalists or otherwise[…]

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